Life Support
by ExistentialCarousel
Summary: Riku's new in town, and starting to get to know his new neighbor. The thing is, Sora's not in the mood for new friends. What's the big secret he's keeping from Riku? [SxR][Yaoi][Lemon in later chapters][AU]
1. A Day In The Life

**Hi there. Welcome to my very first KH (or any other type) fanfic. Um... hope you enjoy. This will be RikuxSora, possibly with a couple other pairings, but I'm not sure who.**

No Kairi bashing, sorry guys. I happen to like her.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy. Thank God.

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_A locked door. If there was anything to symbolize the true nature of this story, it is that._

_It is also the very beginning of it all._

_"Sora sweetheart? Are you up?" The sugar-coated voice of the older man slithered into the little boy's room. Looking back on it now, the words 'sickeningly sweet' come to mind, but nevertheless, the cute little brunette's aqua eyes lit up in the darkness of his bedroom._

_"Yeah, Daddy! Come on in!"_

_Sora sat up expectantly, a bright grin splitting his face nearly in two as his father walked into his room and shut the door._

_"I missed you so much, Daddy!"_

_"Oh, I missed you, too, Sora."_

_A long silence..._

* * *

"SORA!"

_Mm, yeah, that's right... Scream my name..._

"SORA! Get up!"

_I am up, can't you tell...?_

"Sora, you're gonna miss the bus!"

_Wait, what?_

Ah, my mother's such a sweetheart when she's rushed...

"SO-RA!"

"I'm up, Mom!" I yell as crossly as I dare from under the little blanket tent I've created on my bed. Okay, if my eyes are closed when I lower the blankets, and then I very slowly open them...

I'm fucking blinded.

"Agh, goddamn it..." I groan, blinking furiously as my girlishly sensitive eyes accustom themselves to the light of my bedroom. In the process, one hand finds its way to my radio and smacks it on.

_On my way home, police car pulled me over._

_After they left, I puttered out of gas._

_Triple A came, but my card was expired!_

Fueled by the new rush of sound filling my room, I drag my lazy ass out of bed and get ready for school. I honestly have no idea why I still put myself through this kind of torture...

_Had to walk home, and of course, it rained half the time._

_I tried to get some shut-eye, then I was abducted!_

_They put cold things in my butt._

_They sampled a bit of my d.n.a._

_They left me on top of my sheets,_

_I dreamt I went potty, then woke up drenched in me._

Brush brush brush... wash the face, comb the hair... pluck the eyebrows.

Not a word.

_This day sucked the hardest ever..._

_I woke up on the wrong side of the bed today._

_A little bit less than nothing would go my way._

The sunrise finds me lost in the rhythm of my own footsteps. Hm, I shuffle my feet, don't I?

Eventually, the door to the sprawling highschool that I attend finds me, and hopefully I seem a bit more awake by now, or Leon'll have a field day with me... Gotta love sarcasm first thing in the morning...

Now don't get me wrong - I love Leon like a brother. I've known the tall, dark, and handsome brunette all my life. I love all my friends. But they're only human, just like me, and just like me, they irritate me sometimes.

And after all, love means never holding back.

"So-raaa," comes the cheerful call of one of those people I love so dearly. Such a call at such an hour should really cause a minor aneurism, considering my current state, but it's more like the loveliest music I could imagine.

The soft feel of a hand on my shoulder pulls my head up, and my lips figure out how to smile for the first time that morning as I catch sight of my lovely, radiant, sweet as all hell best friend.

"Mornin', Kairi."

Like I said already, Kairi is absolutely gorgeous, and I have no problem telling her so. Her red hair hangs over her shoulders onto the blue and white polka dot dress she's wearing, and her eyes themselves seem to smile. How she does it first thing in the morning, I'll never know. She links arms with me and we start toward out shared first period that way.

"Hey Sora. How was your appointment last night?" Her voice drops to a confidential level with the last part, since I don't really like people to know about that part of my life. Which part, you ask? Well, how 'bout we save that for another time, hm?

I shrug a little as my only response, but just as I knew she would, Kairi doesn't let me get away with it that easy. "Sora..." she starts, her voice somehow pleading and annoyed at the same time.

"Alright, alright," I sigh, caving easily under the weight of one of the famous Kairi guilt trips. "Things are normal, for the most part. There's a spot on my hip they're keeping an eye on..."

Our words are quieted as we take our seats in homeroom, where the penalty for talking is a long, slow death. Dr. Rasmussen takes attendance, and Kairi takes advantage of his short attention span to pass me a note.

_hey, seen the cutie that just moved in next to you?_

I glance over to her with a raised eyebrow, then move a little down the page and scrawl back:

_nope. didn't know the new neighbors moved in already. nice people?_

I push it back over to her, covering our writing with my hand, because I know without looking that the kid behind me - Ethan something or other - is trying to read it. I catch a roll of Kairi's big violet eyes as she reads my note, then writes back and shoves it over.

_forget about that. the guy's gorgeous. I went over yesterday to say hi. his room's right across the little divider thingie from yoooouuuurs..._

I can actually hear her voice in my head as I read that. I've always loved that about Kairi - she writes just like she speaks. Me, I always sound like a cross between Shakespeare and a bad romance novel. Which is why she's on the school paper, and I'm not.

_so?_

I know exactly the reply I'm gonna get for something like that, but I figure I might as well try. We go through this every single fricking time...

_'so'! go for it!__

* * *

_

"I don't 'go for it', Kairi," I tell her as we step into the line for lunch. I'm not sure how many times I've said something along these lines to my persistent best friend, but I'm sure the number's up there with the number of polka dots on that dress of hers.

"Well you should, Sora. I hate to see you pass up something that might be good for you." She recites a variation of her routine response as we step up and take a tray of... whatever they're trying to poison us with today.

"I'll live," I reply flatly.

Those bright eyes of hers dull a little, and she looks at me in a way that clearly says, "No you won't." Every time...

I cave.

"Fine, Kairi. I'll give him a chance when I see him. Now can we just eat and get on with our lives?" I flash her a sweet smile, which she returns, and we head to our normal table.

* * *

As it turns out, I don't really have to worry, since I don't see even the smallest hint of this "cutie" for the rest of the day. Walking up to my house, I spot boxes being carried into my new neighbors' house by sweaty, disgruntled-looking men in blue uniforms. I don't suppose one could blame me for steering clear for the moment.

When I step into my house, though, the lighthearted sound of female laughter greets me, which would normally grit my teeth for me, but I'm in a good mood today. So instead of running to take cover in my bedroom, I decide to investigate. My mother and a woman with platinum blonde hair and a pleasant smile, as I find, are sitting in the sunroom - yes, sunroom - drinking tea and laughing as if they've known each other since they were girls.

I hover in the doorway right between making an entrance and watching from a safe distance, but my mother spots me right away.

"Oh, Sora, I'm glad you're home. This is Mrs. Tanaka - our new neighbor."

The blonde woman - Mrs. Tanaka - turns to me and smiles as if she's really happy to see me. "Hello, Sora. It's so nice to meet you. Your mother has told me so many wonderful things."

I can't help but smile, though mine is more amused than polite, as I know what kind of 'wonderful things' my mother has been telling her. "Oh yeah? Well I'd love to sit and hear all about myself, but I've got a lot of homework. So if you'll excuse me..." I bow politely.

Mrs. Tanaka catches me on my way out. "Oh, Sora!" I freeze. "I don't suppose you saw my son outside? I told him to come over here, but he never does listen to me." A shake of my head. "Oh well, I suppose you'll meet him soon enough."

And exactly how soon is 'soon enough'?

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**Okay, so my very first chapter of my very first fanfic! Please, please review, and don't be afraid to tell me what I should do different. Constructive criticism is always appreciated. **

**See ya next time.**


	2. First Impressions

**Kay, so chapter two! Don't expect the rest of the chapters to come this quickly, though. I knew what I wanted to do, but I wanted this part to be in Riku's POV. Yeah, the POV alternates each chapter, along with the tense. You'll get used to it.**

**Oh, and I forgot to give credit to Incubus in the last chapter for their song "Calgone". **

**Thanks for the review, Sekre, and I hope you like this chapter, too. **

**Disclaimer: K does not own KH 1 or 2, nor does she own Final Fantasy.**

**The same warnings hold true in this chapter as in the rest of the story: sexual content, harsh language, and yaoi. **

**So enjoy.

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**

_Hot damn... When they said a 'large inheritance' they meant a LARGE inheritance..._

This was the thought running through my head as our little not-Mercedes rolled past some of the biggest houses I've ever seen on anything but MTV Cribs. My family was moving here?

Oh, well see now, in my awe I've forgotten my manners.

Hi. My name's Riku Tanaka. I was seventeen when my parents decided to move from New York City to LA. Why, you ask? Because my grandmother passed away, and she lived in LA. She made a lot of money off of real estate, bought this big house in the City Of Angels, and didn't once invite us to visit. Then, one day we found out that dear old Grammie passed on and left us the house.

As you can imagine, a big place in Cali was a better prospect than a two-room flat in Queens.

So there we were.

A moment after we crossed into the neighborhood, our cab pulled up in front of a big red brick house, which I should have guessed was ours because of the moving truck out front. Not that we had a whole bunch of stuff, but we weren't dirt poor or anything.

"Holy crap! We have _balconies_!" I jumped out of the cab and rushed up to the house, running through the open front door. My mom came in behind me, laughing softly at my happiness.

"My my, Riku. You're positively _giddy_!" she taunted, knowing how I defended my normal sullenness.

"Shut up, Mom. I'm gonna go see my room," I replied, grinning and letting the teasing go for now. I took the big staircase two steps at a time and ran into my bedroom, which was easy to find 'cause of the masking tape labeled 'Riku's room' on the door.

Wow.

That was all I had to say.

It was bigger than our old livingroom!

And not only did _we_ have balconies, _I_ had a balcony! And what was there to greet me when I stepped out? A girl.

No, not like... all in white lingerie with a rose in her teeth. No. Down on the sidewalk, waving at me. I was feeling friendly, so I greeted her. "Hey!" I called down, leaning on the railing.

"Hi! I'm Kairi! Welcome to the neighborhood!" Oh, she was friendly, too. And pretty. Not that it mattered much to me, but still. "Hi Kairi. Hold on a sec and I'll come down!"

It took me exactly eleven seconds to get to the front door. Eleven.

I ran out and met the girl - Kairi - on the sidewalk. "Hey."

Kairi giggled prettily and held out a hand, which I took and kissed, eliciting another giggle. "Come on, I'll show you around the neighborhood."

So we walked, but there wasn't really much to be shown. All the houses looked the same, and all the people that we saw gave us the same look, like they'd padlock their wallets if they could. Kairi informed me that it was 'cause it was a school day and all was left were the old people. She just giggled again when I asked why she wasn't at school.

Somewhere on the way home, the girl asked me something that made me stumble and stare in wide-eyed shock at her.

"So, did you have a boyfriend where you came from?"

When I recovered, I cleared my throat and got my feet moving again. "How... um... how..." I stuttered, knowing and hating that there was a pink tinge in my cheeks.

After another soft giggle, Kairi finished my sentence. "How did I know? Not a better gaydar for miles around. Besides, my best friend's gay," she finished with a shrug, but my attention had been caught.

"Oh yeah?" I feigned disinterest, but I could see her smirk out the corner of my eye. "What's his name?"

"Sora," she answered, apparently deciding not to chip away at my dignity any further than I'd already done myself. "Sora Harada. Your next door neighbor."

Sora Harada, my next door neighbor. If I'd only known then...

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

* * *

After the interest I'd shown when Kairi mentioned her gay best friend, one would think that I'd be eager to meet said gay best friend. But when my mother told me the next afternoon that she was going over to meet the Haradas, I stayed home. Why, oh why? 

Because I'm a coward, that's why.

However, that didn't mean that I wasn't up on the balcony, waiting for Sora to get home so I could get a good look at him. And no, that's not creepy. I was in the middle of a silent complaint about him being late getting home when I was completely and utterly distracted.

That had to be him, but... there was no way that was him... Beautiful, radiant, graceful... And dear God, that was just the way he walked. As Sora got closer and started up the walkway to his house, I got a better look at his face, and knew instantly that I wasn't gonna be able to keep my cool with this one.

The mop of cinnamon brown hair gave the first impression of immaturity or childishness, but the way he held himself, and, though it was hard to see at this distance, the look in his eyes instantly threw that first impression out the window. His shoulders hunched just a little, an echo of repeated hanging of that lovely head of his. His eyes were closed just in the slightest, anyone else's expression of sadness, which over time had become default for him.

Such a rich boy, such a privileged life. What could be so wrong? Or maybe he was just one of those rich kids without any real problems, so he was emo... He did look a bit dark...

_Oh hush, Riku. Give him the benefit of the doubt._

Unfortunately, I didn't get the opportunity to continue my appraisal, because just then those bright blue eyes turned up to my house, passing over my little balcony. Did I want him to see me? I mean, maybe he'd come over and save me the trouble of making the first move...

Hell no.

I launched myself backward into my room and shut the door, then laid back on my bed and stared up at the ceiling.

What a way to start my new life.

* * *

That night, it was just me and my mom for dinner. 

Alright, so every night it's just me and my mom for dinner.

Now, don't go expecting some sob story about how my dad was some jackass that left when I was four, or he was some amazing guy that died during a very important year of my life, thus creating an unwarranted but certainly understandable hatred and anger toward the world. It's not like that. My dad is a good man who has made some mistakes in his life, one of which was marrying my mother. He got her pregnant, so he did the responsible thing and married her. They weren't in love, though, so a couple years ago, the two of them sat me down and explained the whole deal. Yeah, I was reasonably upset, but I got over it. Besides, Mom and I are happy together.

Well, for the most part we're happy. Except for when she does stuff like this:

"So why didn't you come over this afternoon? The Haradas have a son, and he's really cuuuute..." She waved her fork at me with a knowing smile, to which I replied with a roll of my eyes. "Oh, don't even pretend you're not desperate, Riku," she said in a flat voice, dropping the cutesy act.

I put down my fork and just looked at her. "Ya know what, Mom? It's times like these when I regret telling you I'm gay."

"I'm hurt, I'm crushed," she replied in a monotone voice, smirking. "Now eat your porkchop and get to bed."

* * *

Okay, so one would think that such a lovely, clearly expensive house would have good air conditioning. I mean, all that money can't just go into the sheer size of it. Quality had to come into play somewhere, right? 

But then again, maybe the size makes it hard to circulate the cold air throughout the whole house. I get the feeling that a windtunnel might not have enough power to make it through all these vents...

Well, and... One would expect to be hot and kinda sweaty after jerking off... But shhh. Although I didn't really give myself a chance to get changed and washed up. So up I got, and to the dresser. Heck yes, my silk PJ pants were clean...

My eyes found the sky outside my balcony as I changed. Why does one have to trade the light of the stars for city lights? As if they're equal at all. City dwellers get majorly jipped. And here, we weren't even in the actual city, so the only way to see those lights is to stand on your roof and squint. Fair? I think not.

Oh... But God decided to compensate... or _over_compensate... Nothing makes up for the loss of a natural wonder more than gaining another natural wonder. In the form of my gorgeous half-naked next-door neighbor.

He only had the little light beside his bed on, but it was enough to let me see in his room, and it reflected in the most warm, beautiful way off of the tanned skin of his back. He wasn't overly muscular, and not bony. Like... a swimmer. I think Kairi might have mentioned that he surfed. But no matter what the reason for this perfection, I was mesmerized. Sora lowered his head, and the muscles in his shoulders strained a bit, drawing my eyes up from their feverish wandering. Just the tiniest movement, and I was hooked.

I hadn't realized that my room was across the divider thingie from Sora's, but Lordy was I grateful. Well, for that and the fact that he forgot to close his curtains. However, my silent prayers of gratitude were interrupted when Sora hooked his thumbs under the waistband of his jeans and pulled the material down off of his hips. My eyes widened just a little more when I realized that he'd taken his boxers with them. All the blood in my head went to my cheeks, and all the blood in the rest of my body went lower. How, in God's name, could anyone be so perfect? That skin, shoulders, hair, eyes... Wait, eyes!

Sora had turned, probably to make sure that nasty guys like me weren't looking in his window, and now those brilliant blue eyes were widened in shock and embarrassment. His whole face was red as he dove out of sight, then closed the curtains without making himself seen again.

I threw myself back into bed and stared up at my ceiling, begging my mind to forget what I'd seen, so that Sora's efforts to keep his body hidden might have been effective. He didn't seem the type to – wait.

'He didn't seem the type'? Since when did I know what type he was?

Well, in any case, I wanted to erase this night and start over with Sora, in a way that was more... honest, and less creepy.

And of course, to add insult to injury...

These PJ pants were a lot tighter than they'd started out.

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**Alright, so two chapters down. Yes, they're short, but they'll be longer later, promise. **

**As always, reviews are a girl's best friend. **

**Catch ya later.**


	3. Making An Entrance

**Hello, friends. Welcome to the third chapter of Life Support. A huge thanks to all who reviewed. Really guys, it makes my day.  
This chapter is a necessary filler chapter. Not too exciting, but a little humorous, I hope. So enjoy.  
Starts in Sora's POV. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. Y'all should know that by now. I don't own RENT, either, or it wouldn't be nearly as amazing.

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"It was fucking creepy, Kairi!" I hiss at her as we make our way through the minefield that is the school cafeteria. I'm forced to take a break from scowling when the lunch lady - or Maria, as she insists we call her - asks me if I'd like some mashed potatoes to go with my frown. I can't help but smile a little as I nod.**

However, that little smile fades again as Kairi throws her hands up in exasperation. "You change with your curtains open, Sora! And he is right across the divider thingie from you. He was bound to see you!" She crosses her arms over her chest and follows me as I inch forward through the line.

I pick up a side salad and give her a flat look. "He didn't just see me. He stared at me!" This, to my dismay, earns a smirk from my best friend.

"Sora, hun..." she starts, then rolls her eyes and slings an arm around my shoulders as we head to the cashier's line. "You are gorgeous. I will never, ever get you to admit it, but you are. You can't blame the guy for looking."

Oh... Now that is hitting below the belt. I am such a sucker for compliments, and she knows it. Her smirk is growing in direct proportion to the blush in my cheeks. "Aw, you're so adorable!" she teases, pinching my cheek. I smile faintly and shrug her arm off my shoulders.

"It's just... He saw my back... Without any pants. What if he saw...?" I trail off, not trusting even my quiet spy voice to not betray my secret.

But Kairi doesn't give me any slack. Her smirk only expands. I must say, it's not a good look for her. "Aha! So you care what he thinks!" she says, sounding appropriately triumphant.

Seeing as how the eyes are the windows to the soul, I avert mine. My soul has a couple secrets that not even Kairi gets to see at this point. "Kairi, about this... Yeah, I care," I say quietly. "I care what anyone thinks about this." Alright, so... lie by omission?

I risk a glance up to Kairi's eyes, and see that they've softened. However, it's temporary, and in just a moment, her smirk is back. "Fine, fine. But did you at least get a good look at him? I mean... I wouldn't mind somebody like that staring in my window."

I flash a smile at the cashier, then start toward our normal table. "Yeah, well I'm not you, chica. And yeah, I got a nice long look at the guy somewhere between panicking and dying of embarrassment."

"Well good. So you can admit he was hot, and we can move on to how we're gonna get you two together," Kairi says nonchalantly as we sit down.

I just look at her for a minute, then cave. "Okay, so he was a little hot..."

What can I say? I'm desperate.

* * *

**RIKU'S POV:**

* * *

I honestly kept expecting to run into some weird, enormous breed of people here in LA, because that would be the only good explanation for these huge buildings and houses. And of course I should have known that the school would be no different.

The only time that I could remember feeling this lost, small, and alone was when my mom got caught up in a group of tourists when we went to Times Square once. I was twelve, and on my own in a sea of people for an entire thirty-five seconds. This was just like that, only skinnier, better dressed, and about a foot shorter.

I guess it was good thing I didn't have to worry about learning quite yet. I was here for a sort of informal orientation - a talk with the principle, which I honestly could've done without, and then a "Kay, so here's a majorly vague explanation of the layout of a school, a schedule that's harder to navigate than the metro system in Paris, and a swift kick in the ass to start your day."

I did eventually manage to find all my classes, though I pissed off three teachers and a handful of hall monitors in the process. That's always good for a laugh, though. The one consolation was that I got into the music class that I'd wanted and the upper level art class that my old school didn't even have. I was actually looking forward to school the next day.

My mom had just dropped me off today, as she had a job interview around the same time, so I was waiting quite impatiently near the front doors for her when... time stopped.

I heard the door behind me open, and in some sort of odd movie slow-mo, I turned and saw Sora, whom I'd been hoping to 'run into' all day. It was like... when cruel parents hide the gift their kid was hoping to get for Christmas and get them all upset before finally telling them that the PlayStation was under the damn couch all along. At the last minute, I got my gift.

While I was preoccupied with silently singing praises in my head, Sora walked quickly past me as if I wasn't even there. Although, given what had happened the last time we saw each other, I really couldn't blame him.

But that didn't mean I was gonna let him get away with it.

I pushed off from the brick wall that I'd been leaning against, which felt like it kept about half my denim jacket behind, and walked after him. I could tell that he knew I was there by the way his pace sped up, but I hurried until I was walking side by side with him. "Sora?" I said, as if I wasn't sure that was his name.

He finally, finally, gave me at least a little of his attention, and looked up at me. There was a deep red tinge in his cheeks, and I nearly said 'awwww' aloud. Something tells me he would've decked me right there. "What do you want?" he asked. It sounded like it was supposed to be hostile, but the words came out somewhere between frustrated and terrified.

I raised an eyebrow at him, though what I really wanted to do was throw myself at his feet and beg for forgiveness. Kairi - who had become not only a trusted friend, but my source for all things Sora, whether I asked or not - had told me that the little brunette was more into assertive guys than politeness. Worked for me.

"Actually, what I wanted was to apologize," I reply, sounding more than a little hostile, myself. I have to admit, there was a little feeling behind the harshness - it hurt that he apparently thought so little of me.

"What for?" he asked, turning his eyes back to the sidewalk that passed under our feet.

I rolled my eyes. "Ugh... For letting my eyes wander too long over my next door neighbor's lovely body. Granted, it's kind of his problem cause he didn't shut his curtains... But I really am sorry."

He glanced at me, and I was dismayed to see that his eyes were still as hard as the sapphires they resembled so closely. Geez, that spiel normally would've gained me at least a little smile... "Yeah, sure. So, have you got a name?"

"Riku."

If I'd thought I was in for a swift punishment, I was mistaken. Oh no, he made me wait until we got home, then actually got me to walk him up to his front door before he finally turned to me and said, with one of the loveliest, most promising smiles I've ever seen...

"Well Riku, I'll be sure to close my curtains in the future."

* * *

**SORA'S POV:**

* * *

"_You'll be sure to close your curtains in the future_?" 

I've just finished telling Kairi about my... encounter with Riku yesterday as we wait for first period to start. In my opinion, I was rather slick and cool, but somehow I knew she wasn't gonna be pleased. "Well, what did you want me to say, Kairi? 'Hey there Riku. Hope you enjoyed the show. Maybe I'll give ya an encore sometime...'?"

That gets me a little bit of a smile from my lovely copper-haired friend, but she quickly stifles it in favor of another stern look. "Well you didn't have to be so mean to him, Sora. Besides, I thought we agreed that you'd give him a chance."

"Nope," I reply flatly, shaking my head and holding up a hand to stop her protests before they start. "That was before I caught him looking in my window. After that, all bets are off."

Kairi sets her pencil down in exasperation and looks up from the doodle she's been working on to stare at me. "I can't believe you! You're gonna have to get over that eventually. Besides, you make it sound like he climbed up the side of your house and nearly crawled into your room. It was an accident. When're you gonna accept that?"

Somewhere along the line, the bell had rung, and Dr. Rasmussen is beginning class.

By the way, can someone tell me what kind of doctorate a history teacher would have?

In any case, the sharp comment I'd prepared has to be discarded in favor of a sharp look, lest I be dragged up to the front of the class and castrated right there in front of everyone. The scary thing is, I think he'd really do it.

The class sits in badly faked patience as Rasmussen finishes attendance and immediately starts blathering on about the Roaring 20's, which we started on yesterday, so it's only about ten minutes before he rounds the corner into the Great Depression and keeps on a-going.

"Now, the main reason for the downward spiral after the stock market crash was... Can anyone tell me?"

I didn't notice the classroom door quietly open, but it's pretty hard to ignore the smooth, hauntingly familiar voice that says, "Margin buying."

All eyes turn away from our teacher, enrapturing though he is, and settle on a certain silver-haired boy that steps into the room and closes the door behind him. Rasmussen looks like Christmas has come early. "Ah, go on, um..."

"Riku," the guy answers, smirking slightly. I almost miss the flicker of those aqua eyes in my direction. "And, during the 20's, people played the stock market with loans - money they didn't have. So when the market failed, they lost everything. They didn't have money to spend, so no one made any money."

I swear that Rasmussen's face is about to split in two at this point, which only adds to the look of smug satisfaction on Riku's face. Oh please no... There's no way God could hate me this much...

"This is Dr. Rasmussen's American History class, right? Sorry I'm a little late. Got lost."

Rasmussen looks a little flustered for a second. "Oh, oh it's fine, Riku. Just, uh, just take a seat, if you please," he manages to stammer, and Riku smiles and nods, then sits down in an empty seat a couple rows over from me.

I'm preoccupied with glaring when I feel something brush my arm.

_ithink the doc's got a little crush on riku..._ Kairi's note reads. I shake my head a little and write back, then turn my attention back to FDR's New Deal, which Kairi understands to mean that I'm done talking.

_he can keep him.  
_

* * *

**RIKU'S POV:**

* * *

"Ri-kuuu!" 

I couldn't help but chuckle when I heard that particular call of my name from down the hall behind me. Kairi's voice is always so bright and cheerful, and my mood had needed the heightening. I'd hoped that my entrance in history class would at least get me a little smile from Sora, but no such luck.

"Hey Riku!"

I turned a little and smiled at Kairi as she caught up with me, a brilliant smile on her face. "That thing in first period was great!"

Just a shrug from me in response. "Didn't get his attention," I replied dejectedly. I mean, what was the point of looking like a know-it-all asshole if my audience didn't even care?

But Kairi whacked my arm, staring at me. "Of course it got his attention! I mean... I won't lie - he doesn't seem to like you. But you can fix that!" There was such hope and vehemence in the girl's voice that I had to look over at her in amusement and surprise, making her blush brightly and clear her throat.

"I think you're more into this than I am, Kairi," I commented, hiding the laughter in my voice.

She held up a many-ringed hand in surrender. "I know, I know... I just don't like seeing Sora alone so much. And you're the first guy that's been really interested in him in a long time... Well, who isn't a total creep, anyway."

I snickered, shaking my head as we walked into art class. "I'm flattered."

"Yeah, well you should be," Kairi replied, laughing a bit. "Okay, okay. I'll give you a break. But what're you doing Friday night?"

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Kairi... I never knew you cared..." I swore she was gonna poke my eye out with her charcoal pencil.

"Oh shut up," she snapped, rolling her eyes. "As I was saying, I've got an extra ticket to a local presentation of _RENT_, and I thought you might wanna go..."

And what do ya know. Only a couple days in town, and I've got a hot date!

You wanna be me, and you know it.

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**So there it is. As always, please review. **

**And yes, I am indeed a Rent-head. There's even a bit of dialogue in the first chapter that I stole from the movie. XD**

**Anyway, I'm feeling lazy as of late, so the next chapter might take a while. Patience, grasshopper.**


	4. We've Been Set Up

**Hey there all you lovely people! It's me, K, back with another installment of"Life Support".**

Sorry this took me forever, guys. I got bored with writing it halfway through, and thus got all lazy... So yeah.

Again, many,many thanks to all my reviewers. Dunno where I'd be without you.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything I mentioned in here. None of it.

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"Please, Leon..."

"Not yet."

"Please. I am begging you."

"_Begging_ eh?"

"Yes, Leon. I'm begging. Give me a fricking Junior Mint!"

We'd only just sat down, and Kairi was already trying to steal Leon's food. She'd invited the older boy to keep this from looking like a date, but I was kinda considering telling my copper haired new friend to get lost and leave us together. Of course, she tells me he's taken, but what do I care? Technicalities.

Leon, or Squall, as he hates to be called, was a year older than us, but acted like he was about forty. Of course, that was cancelled out by his incredible good looks. Tall, dark, and handsome is the cliché that comes to mind.

Ah, but I'm forgetting a certain sapphire-eyed angel that I had my sights set on at this point. Alright, so Cloud could have Leon. Anyway, the guy seemed like a strong dominant, and I don't do well on bottom.

"Fine, Kairi!" Leon finally said, exasperated, and held the box out to her. With a smug look on her pretty face, Kairi took a couple mints and settled back comfortably in her seat, straightening out the legs of her jeans a little. She was dressed very casually, which made me rethink my leather pants and tight blue sweater (just the color of Sora's eyes, by the way, not that I'd planned that or anything). Oh well - it was RENT. Didn't really matter what you wore.

It seemed as though we'd gotten to the theater just in time, because as if on cue, just as Leon and Kairi stopped fighting, the lights dimmed, and the room grew quiet.

Now, I'd only ever seen the movie version of RENT, which was really dumb of me, living in New York and having spent quite a bit of time in Alphabet City. But I'd just never seen it, and I was caught off guard by how different the live show was turning out to be. I tried to sing along with "Rent", but it was different, and my voice was coming in at all the wrong places, causing Kairi to giggle and nudge me playfully. I quit singing.

However, I knew the general plot well enough to know where each character came in. So when Kairi leaned over and told me to "pay attention to Angel", the words, 'You okay, honey?' caught my attention.

Oddly enough, the voice sounded familiar, though I was sure I'd never met someone so effeminate. At least not since I moved here. I paid close attention, though, and eventually started to form a suspicion. Damn Angel's short first scene... I couldn't get a good enough look to confirm my hunch. Although, the look on Kairi's face, which I caught out the corner of my eye, was giving me a good clue. I sat up a little straighter and paid attention through One Song Glory, Light My Candle, and a voice mail thing before Angel's re-entry.

_"Today for you... Tomorrow for me!"_

I stared at the actor's face, which was impossible to recognize because of the makeup. My eyes gave up, and instead took in the full picture. Then they widened, as my idiotic self finally understood. "Holy shit..."

I looked over to Kairi, who was smirking at me, though her eyes were still on the stage as Angel sang.

"That's– ?"

"Yep," Leon answered for her, "Sora's quite the actor. Though this is his first year doing RENT."

"Ohhh, you ain't seen nothin' yet," Kairi whispered softly to us both. "I've seen the rehearsals. He's amazing..." A woman in the row in front of us made an aggravated shushing noise, and we grudgingly obeyed, silent for the rest of the play.

Although... Only one character had my full attention...

* * *

"...Riku, are you... crying?" Kairi's voice didn't hold that certain measure of... tenderness that would normally be used with that question, but I guess amusement's more appropriate, anyway.

"...No..." I replied defiantly, even as I attempted to discreetly brush tears from my eyes. I know, I know... Don't give me that look.

"Yes you _arrrre_!" Kairi stood up and pulled me up with her, pushing me out onto the aisle. The play had ended about ten minutes ago, but we were waiting for Sora, I supposed to go get something to eat. I'd tried to explain to Kairi that Sora would be about as enthused to see me as a man about to meet his executioner, but she'd insisted that I tag along.

And who am I to disagree?

"Why would I be crying, Kairi?" I snapped, but she knew I wasn't as angry as I sounded.

"S'not a big deal," Leon chimed in, his deep voice laced with amusement. "It's a sad play... Especially considering who died..."

I shot him my best death glare, but he seemed unfazed. "And why would that bother me? It's not like he's my boyfriend or anything."

"Yet," Leon and Kairi answered together.

Fifteen minutes and a very uncomfortable car ride later, Sora and I walked silently into the brightly lit diner that Kairi had designated as our meeting place. Yeah, I should have known that something was up when she'd told me we were taking separate cars to the play. Using logic that I really couldn't argue with, the red-haired pain in the ass put had Sora and I in one car, and her and Leon in the other, since Sora and I were neighbors and all.

The ride there had been silent. Well, that is, until Sora had tried to soften the silence by turning on some music. The second he touched the radio, "Megalomaniac" by Incubus had blared out of every speaker in the car, causing us both to jump and the car to swerve, earning an irritated honking from the car in the next lane.

Sora had quickly turned the music down to an acceptable level, blushing brightly and apologizing profusely. "It's fine," I had replied simply, instantly regretting my cold tone.

Now, it wasn't that I don't like being around Sora. I love being around Sora - when he actually sticks around long enough to enjoy it, anyway. But that, right there, was the problem.

When we'd pulled out of the theater parking lot, I had glanced over to him once, and nearly ran us into a light pole. Sora had done his best to get the stage makeup off, but hints of eyeliner, mascara, and blush remained. The streetlights that streamed through the windows had thrown these colors into sharp relief, and I almost hadn't been able to tear my eyes away.

The thing was, there had been the most miserable pout on that lovely face, sending one message loud and clear: he did _not_ want to be here. He did not want to be with me. So why should I waste my time and energy trying to make it otherwise?

Yeah, we'd see how long that lasted.

"You... you like Incubus?" Sora had asked softly, breaking through the ringing in my ears after the incident with the stereo.

I'd given him a short sideways glance and nodded, steering into the restaurant parking lot. "Yup." And that was the death of that conversation.

So there we were, in a bright 50's throwback diner, being led to a booth in the back of the restaurant. "Huh... I wonder what's taking Kairi and Leon so long..." Sora mused aloud, and I shrugged in response as we sat down.

It was only a couple of minutes before a youngish blonde woman wearing far too little clothing bounced over and smiled brightly at us. "Heeeyy, my name's Kelly, and I'll be takin' care of ya tonight. Can I get ya somethin' to drink?" she chirped, just cheerful enough to make me reconsider throwing the pepper shaker at her well-coifed head.

"Uh, actually, we're expecting two more..." I replied politely, gaining a look of understanding and a bigger smile from Daisy Duke there.

"Ya must be Riku and Sora, then. A cute little redheaded girl told me to give this to ya," she said, handing me a small slip of paper. I blinked at it, then let out a small sigh of annoyance.

"I'll have a Coke, then."

Sora gave me a confused look, then gave the waitress his order. When she'd bounced away, he frowned cutely. "What happened? Is everything okay?" he asked, sounding mildly worried.

I rolled my eyes, quite irritated by now. This was not going along with my plan. "We've been set up," I replied flatly, sliding the paper across the Formica table to Sora, who blinked down at it. A simple print of a set of lips, in the bright pink shade of lipstick Kairi had worn tonight.

He sighed and rolled his eyes, then crumpled up the paper and tossed it aside. His apparent distaste for the situation stung a little, though I knew very well that me being an ass might not have felt very good to him, either. "Not happy about the–..." I started, an eyebrow raised, but was interrupted when the waitress came back to take our orders. We both just got a cheeseburger and fries, then I started over. "Not happy about the arrangement, I take it?"

"No more than you are," Sora replied simply, giving a small shrug. "But I'm not running for the door, am I?"

That heightened my spirits, I must say. It hadn't really occurred to me that he could've just walked away. "I guess I should be grateful for that," I conceded, nodding. "But why is it you're not leaving?"

I saw the first bit of a real smile from him then, as he replied, "Don't fish. It's not attractive. But I suppose... If I have to say so..." He eyed me for a moment, then smirked a little more. "You're not all bad. And anyway, Kairi'd kill me if I just left you here."

That comment was good enough for me, though. Sora was just as stubborn as Kairi had said, so I wasn't dumb enough to think he was gonna warm up to me fully right away, but I was gaining ground here.

Yep... not gonna waste my time... Eh, since when have I been able to keep resolutions?

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**Sora's POV:

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**

Jesus in heaven above... Have his eyes always been that color?

I knew the minute I let myself be a little nice to him in the car, I was getting in over my head. Right now I'm realizing just what an understatement that really was. Just yesterday I was avoiding him at all costs, and now I've placed a small smile on my lips, just because it makes those brilliant aqua eyes sparkle at me.

And ladies and gentlemen, I believe I'm starting to love it.

"So, I didn't know you do theater."

Crap. This means I have to talk, doesn't it? Mmkay... Cute, coy... "Oh, so this wasn't part of your evil plan?" Good, Sora! A little cliché, but pretty darn good for my heart being up in my throat.

Have I mentioned yet just how dead Kairi is?

Riku chuckles softly, and I pretend that it doesn't make me shiver. "No, actually," he answers, "It was part of Kairi's. I had no idea you were gonna be there." His eyes are on mine for a moment, then they lower to the Formica table between us. For just a split second, I could swear that he looks defeated, and I feel a little guilty. But then... "Ya know... You were really good."

It's totally unfair that I just about melt into a puddle in my seat at that. Is it possible that he knows what a sucker for flattery I am? "Oh... well... thank you..." I stammer, aggravated at the pink flush I know is spreading across my cheeks and nose.

He's quiet for a moment, as if he's expecting me to add something to that - a smart remark, perhaps, but when none come, he smiles. "Not a problem. And... if you promise not to tell anybody..." His voice lowers, and he leans across the table as if passing on national security secrets. I can't help it - I lean in, and he murmurs in my ear, "You look really cute in drag."

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**There it is, guys. Not the most exciting, but eh. Sora's starting to warm up to Riku, finally. **

**I know I keep promising you guys longer chapters, and I was gonna keep going with this one, but that just seemed like a really good stopping point. **

**So yeah. Keep reviewing, my lovelies. **


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